ATC offers the Book Buddies program, a tutoring model developed at the University of Virginia’s School of Education to teach struggling readers. It was specifically designed for use by community volunteers trained to tutor students individually, one-on-one. (Research shows that one-on-one tutoring gets significantly higher results than tutoring in pairs or groups.) ATC employs former teachers to train and oversee all tutors, write weekly lesson plans targeted to each child’s reading needs, and provide necessary reading materials.
Students in the ATC program are identified by Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) teachers as those who need reading support. Once parents or guardians give ATC permission to enroll a student, twice weekly tutoring sessions begin and are conducted October through May. Among ATC students, 77% are Black, Indigenous or Persons of Color, 56% percent are English Language Learners. All students served by ATC are residents of the City of Alexandria. In 2025-2026, ATC is tutoring in all 14 public elementary schools in Alexandria: Charles Barrett, Cora Kelly, Douglas MacArthur, Ferdinand Day, George Mason, James Polk, Jefferson-Houston, John Adams, Lyles-Crouch, Mount Vernon, Naomi Brooks, Patrick Henry, Samuel Tucker, and William Ramsay.
